Agartala: In a bid to expedite the completion of the India-Bangladesh rail connectivity in Tripura under the ‘Act East Policy’, the railway ministry has sanctioned additional funds for the project. Indian Railways is working towards PM’s vision of ‘Act East Policy’ and ‘Neighborhood First Policy’ by executing several new railway line projects connecting the neighbouring countries. Constructing the Agartala – Akhaura international connectivity rail line project between India and Bangladesh is one such crucial project at an advanced stage of completion. The works for this railway project are in full swing to connect Agartala, the capital city of Tripura, to Akhaura in Bangladesh.
The 15.064 km long railway line (5.05 km in India and 10.014 km in Bangladesh) would link Bangladesh’s Akhaura through an international immigration station at Nischintapur, which will be a dual gauge station for both passenger and goods interchange between India and Bangladesh. The project includes 01 major bridge and 03 minor bridges. After completion of the project, the travel time between Agartala and Kolkata via Dhaka of about 31 hours will be reduced to 10 hours.
The new rail project will boost the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh, which will help grow small-scale industries in the border area and boost tourism in the NE region, particularly Tripura. It will also help export and import commodities faster and help the local producers export their products outside the country faster.
The anticipated cost for completion of the Indian portion of the project is Rs. 862.58 crores. The Ministry of DONER is funding the project. Already about Rs. 708.74 crores has been provided and utilised. Allotment of the balance fund from the Ministry of DONER for the completion of the project is under process.
However, to speed up the work of the balance portion, Indian Railways has proactively decided to allot Rs 153.84 crores from its budget. With the release of the fund, the work at the site is progressing in full swing. Even Though the NFR is not giving any details of the completion of the project, it is expected to be ready by December 2024.
